Stenhouse Stays Put: Hyak Motorsports Locks In Veteran For Long-Term No. 47 Future

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will remain in the No. 47 Chevrolet after Hyak Motorsports confirmed a multi-year contract extension, keeping the veteran driver with the team as it continues its Cup Series development. The deal secures one of the most experienced full-time drivers in the garage, with Stenhouse now holding more than 480 career Cup starts.

Stenhouse joined the organization in 2020 when it was still known as JTG Daugherty Racing after spending 11 seasons with RFK Racing. Since then, he has remained at the center of a rebuilding effort that has gone through different phases, keeping him a steady presence behind the wheel.

Keeping him in place gives the team continuity in a sport where that can be hard to find. The No. 47 group does not have to reset communication or adjust to a new driver style, which matters over the course of a long 36-race season.

Hyak Motorsports Values Stability And Experience

Team owner Gordon Smith pointed to Stenhouse’s experience and leadership as key reasons for the extension. The organization sees him as an important piece while it continues trying to improve overall performance across all track types. Stenhouse has 4 Cup Series wins, 26 top-five finishes, and 63 top-10s in his career.

His biggest victory came in the 2023 Daytona 500, where late-race drafting and positioning played a major role in the outcome.He has also won at Daytona in 2017 and at Talladega in both 2017 and 2024. Those results have defined much of his success at the Cup level, especially on superspeedways where patience and timing are everything.

Across nearly 500 starts, Stenhouse has raced through different car packages and rule changes, giving him a level of experience that younger drivers are still building toward. That kind of background helps steady a team that is still trying to find more consistent results week to week.

Stenhouse On Staying With The Team

Stenhouse said the extension had been in progress for some time and that he is happy to continue building with Hyak Motorsports. He credited the team’s leadership and direction for making the decision easy. He also made it clear that he sees potential in the group moving forward rather than viewing this as just another contract.

At 37 years old, Stenhouse continues to focus on making the most of each opportunity. That approach has helped him stay competitive in a field where small mistakes can quickly change a race result. The 2026 season has already shown a few strong moments for the No. 47 team.

A runner-up finish in the Daytona 500 and a sixth-place result at Talladega stand out as the highlights so far. Those races showed what the team can do when strategy and execution line up, especially on superspeedways where Stenhouse has always been strong.The challenge now is to turn those kinds of runs into more consistent finishes for the rest of the schedule.

What This Means For Hyak Motorsports

This extension gives Hyak Motorsports something it can build around. In NASCAR, keeping a driver in place over multiple seasons allows teams to develop without constantly changing direction. It also helps the crew build trust in weekly decisions, which often shows up in small but important gains on track.

Stenhouse’s experience across nearly 500 starts gives the organization a steady reference point for setup work and race preparation. His feedback remains a key part of how the team continues to adjust and improve. That kind of input matters most on weekends, when track conditions change quickly, and teams have little time to react.

It also keeps the No. 47 program from having to restart its communication rhythm, which often takes time to rebuild with a new driver.Stability like this does not guarantee wins, but it does give a team a better chance to improve steadily over time. It also means the crew can fine-tune adjustments faster because they already understand how Stenhouse describes what the car is doing on track.

What’s Next

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will continue driving the No. 47 Chevrolet after signing a multi-year extension with Hyak Motorsports. With 4 career Cup wins, a Daytona 500 victory, and more than 480 starts, he brings experience and consistency to a team still working to climb in the Cup Series.

For Hyak Motorsports, the move is about keeping things steady. For Stenhouse, it is another chance to keep building with a group he has been part of for several seasons now. That familiarity carries weight on race weekends when communication needs to be quick and precise.

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